:00:38. > :00:47.After two days, 70,000 fans have seen all the players play once.
:00:48. > :00:58.Perhaps unsurprisingly, the big four continue to set the standard. The
:00:59. > :01:06.dominant force in men's tennis. World-class tennis from Novak
:01:07. > :01:19.Djokovic. Just ideal timing. Brilliant shot. That's an absolute
:01:20. > :01:21.demonstration. So powerful. The hard work has paid off and that will be
:01:22. > :01:43.that. That is a wicked tennis point. Andy
:01:44. > :01:49.Murray is off to a winning start. The big four sailed through their
:01:50. > :01:58.opening matches. One member of the Davis Cup team is with us, Dom
:01:59. > :02:04.Inglot. We are getting nervous. Do you feel the pressure? I would be
:02:05. > :02:08.lying if I did not. Obviously, everybody wants to do well. It is a
:02:09. > :02:12.great opportunity to win the Davis Cup and bring it back to this
:02:13. > :02:16.country. Everybody is on edge and you never know when you might get
:02:17. > :02:25.called upon to be part of the team. Leon likes to leave everything to
:02:26. > :02:31.the last minute. Just need to be ready. That is his favourite line.
:02:32. > :02:36.You've had a great end to the year. We will talk about the Davis Cup in
:02:37. > :02:38.a moment. The group matches continue. Here comes K Nisha Khoury.
:02:39. > :02:45.He is taking on Tomas Berdych. continue. Here comes K Nisha Khoury.
:02:46. > :03:26.They've not met since 2012. Ladies and gentlemen, making his
:03:27. > :03:33.sixth straight appearance in the World Tour Finals, winner of 12
:03:34. > :04:06.World Tour titles, from the Czech Republic, Tomas Berdych.
:04:07. > :04:14.They both lost their opening matches, to Novak Djokovic and Roger
:04:15. > :04:17.Federer. This is more like an elimination match. They've got to
:04:18. > :04:26.win to keep their hopes alive. It's going to be very entertaining. The
:04:27. > :04:32.big hitting Berdych against Nishikori. It is a difficult match.
:04:33. > :04:36.Interesting matchup. Certainly is. They benefit from the format of this
:04:37. > :04:43.tournament. They both lost in straight sets but they still have a
:04:44. > :04:47.chance of qualifying. Nishikori got a lesson from Novak Djokovic. He
:04:48. > :04:58.will be keen to bounce back. Berdych lost comfortably to Roger Federer.
:04:59. > :05:04.They've got a similar type of game. Berdych is the big hitter. Nishikori
:05:05. > :05:08.is going to look to try and exploit Berdych's lack of movement. They've
:05:09. > :05:12.not play for a long time, it has been three years, and it will come
:05:13. > :05:17.down to who can play best on the day and take their chances. Nishikori is
:05:18. > :05:27.one of those players we are looking to take over as one of the leading
:05:28. > :05:34.players in years to come. You are seeing the physicality Novak
:05:35. > :05:39.Djokovic is making, and Nishikori is trying to be like that, at his best,
:05:40. > :06:07.you can really challenge these guys. I would like you to say challenge,
:06:08. > :06:18.for Hawk-Eye. Any questions? No questions? Heads. That is heads. You
:06:19. > :06:27.will receive. Good match, gentlemen. Has anybody asked the question?
:06:28. > :06:30.Probably not. After playing the number of matches they play, I don't
:06:31. > :06:34.think there will be too many surprises for them. We want to speak
:06:35. > :06:40.about the Davis Cup and everyone is talking about who is likely to be
:06:41. > :06:47.picked. We know all the Leon has made his choices today as virus that
:06:48. > :06:52.concerned, -- even though Leon has made his choices as far as that is
:06:53. > :06:56.concerned, we will take you through these matches first. It is Battle of
:06:57. > :07:06.the Giants tonight. Tomorrow, stay with us. At 2pm it will be Andy
:07:07. > :07:15.Murray against Rafael Nadal. Mentioning about the teams he has
:07:16. > :07:22.chosen. He knows he can change that. We are waiting to see whether
:07:23. > :07:28.Bedene, if he wins his appeal he can play. We still don't know who's
:07:29. > :07:37.going to play. Definitely not. The players want to know. There are good
:07:38. > :07:43.options. The likes of Kyle Edmund doing well, you cannot look past
:07:44. > :07:49.James Ward because he's done so well in key matches. If you can bring in
:07:50. > :07:55.Bedene as well that would be a great left to the team. I think the whole
:07:56. > :07:58.team want to do as best as they can. The whole nation wants everyone to
:07:59. > :08:04.get this one done. You've got to pick your best team. Thankfully I
:08:05. > :08:11.don't need to make that decision, I just turn up and do the best I can.
:08:12. > :08:16.You had a great US Open, semifinals, semifinals in Paris as well, you are
:08:17. > :08:22.coming in in form. I would like to think so. Obviously you have got the
:08:23. > :08:25.likes of Jamie Murray, he has been playing fantastic, he will be first
:08:26. > :08:29.on the sheet. If Andy is keen to play I think that will be the team.
:08:30. > :08:40.It is difficult to argue against that. I will do my best to give Leon
:08:41. > :08:44.a headache. If anything happens he will have a good back-up in myself.
:08:45. > :08:51.On the doubles front we are in a good position. For singles, that
:08:52. > :08:56.second player will be the key. You have shown you can play on the big
:08:57. > :08:59.occasions. We will get a reminder of some points from when you took on
:09:00. > :09:07.the Bryan brothers. The mighty Bryan brothers. Exciting times. The
:09:08. > :09:19.atmosphere and there was crazy. It was so loud. The atmosphere was
:09:20. > :09:22.fantastic. 8000 fans going wild. To take it from the position where we
:09:23. > :09:31.were getting crushed, to bring it back. James Ward did a fantastic
:09:32. > :09:45.job, he gave the team such a left. -- pick-up. Tim, going back to your
:09:46. > :09:51.day. It was you and Greg, you were crying out, where can we get doubles
:09:52. > :09:59.players? Now we are spoiled for choice. It puts it into context. We
:10:00. > :10:02.never one world group match. It speaks volumes for the team that
:10:03. > :10:06.they've been able to get through to the final but also the
:10:07. > :10:12.responsibility that lies on the shoulders of Andy Murray. He has
:10:13. > :10:17.been playing three matches, three consecutive days, it is enormously
:10:18. > :10:23.demanding, physically and mentally. Now in the final against Belgium, it
:10:24. > :10:28.is a way, on clay, it is a tough match but I think we are favourites.
:10:29. > :10:32.. The team feel that we are favourites? I think so. We would
:10:33. > :10:36.need to be full list not to think that. Obviously there is an added
:10:37. > :10:41.pressure going in as favourites against teams like the French, you
:10:42. > :10:47.think, it will be difficult, maybe we are slight underdogs, against
:10:48. > :10:51.Australia we did well, we were probably the favourites there. But
:10:52. > :10:57.as Tim mentioned, it will be an away tie, which is difficult when you
:10:58. > :11:01.have not got 8000 people behind you. We will have 12,000 against us. It
:11:02. > :11:09.is the final. We've never been in that situation. Andy has obviously
:11:10. > :11:16.experienced it in other big events, the other guys, not so much. That is
:11:17. > :11:21.time to shine. Lets face it, South Africa were the favourites against
:11:22. > :11:25.Japan. That was in rugby. It goes out the window, you've got to get
:11:26. > :11:29.out on the court and deliver. I'm sure the boys will do us proud.
:11:30. > :11:35.There seems to be a great team spirit in the team, by Andy Murray.
:11:36. > :11:40.100%. Within the team we do a lot of things to make sure everybody feels
:11:41. > :11:43.equally important. Andy is obviously doing a massive job for us and
:11:44. > :11:49.helping us get these factories but it does not feel like we are there,
:11:50. > :12:02.going, this is the Andy Murray show. Every person, whoever is there, they
:12:03. > :12:05.are serving a purpose. The support has been keeping us in great shape,
:12:06. > :12:12.doing everything they can to keep us in the right frame of mind. They
:12:13. > :12:18.deserve a lot of credit as well. We wish you well. Stay healthy. We look
:12:19. > :12:24.forward to seeing you in Belgium. You can watch it on the BBC. First
:12:25. > :12:29.up, tomorrow, you can listen to this programme, it features Tim Henman,
:12:30. > :12:34.John Lloyd, Andy Murray, talking about Britain's involvement in the
:12:35. > :12:42.Davis Cup. We will be live in Belgium for the final, 27th of
:12:43. > :12:47.November. We are ready for this match. Do get in touch with us on
:12:48. > :12:59.social media as well. Time to hand over to Tim and two Andrew Castle.
:13:00. > :13:14.Bake serving. We could use good singles match, not just a spectacle.
:13:15. > :13:21.Berdych, from the Czech Republic, perennially number six in the world.
:13:22. > :13:25.Hoping to finish number five this time. That would be big for him.
:13:26. > :13:56.Rafael Nadal is just ahead. This is certainly not the box office
:13:57. > :14:07.match today, nobody is going to say it is. But this is a must win match
:14:08. > :14:29.for both. It could be the most interesting match we've seen so far.
:14:30. > :14:35.We have not even had a tie-break so far. We had this last year and it
:14:36. > :15:15.was a disappointment, one-sided matches.
:15:16. > :15:20.He has spent so much time working with Andy Murray, now he is working
:15:21. > :15:32.with Thomas Berdych. There were handbags at the
:15:33. > :15:44.Australian Open. Never really got to the bottom of it.
:15:45. > :15:49.I'll just tell you as we look at this deuce, there is a statement
:15:50. > :16:00.from the ITF which I will read to you in a moment about Bedene, the
:16:01. > :16:41.Slovenian player. News on that in just a moment.
:16:42. > :16:48.Having said you're going to read out the announcement, we will now have a
:16:49. > :16:55.14 minute service game fought Tomas Berdych. Who did this way, it is
:16:56. > :17:12.good news for James Ward or Kyle Edmund.
:17:13. > :17:20.Couple of big hits from Berdych. Having been 40-0 up, he does not
:17:21. > :17:58.want to drop serve from that position.
:17:59. > :18:08.OK, first game. Here is the statement. The International tennis
:18:09. > :18:13.Federation announced today that the application by the LTA for the
:18:14. > :18:19.granting of eligibility for Bedene to play Davis Cup -- Davis Cup was
:18:20. > :18:26.adjourned until the next Board of Directors to be held on the 21st of
:18:27. > :18:28.March 2016. The ITF has taken this decision in order to ensure that the
:18:29. > :18:35.rights of all parties are considered. As the application is
:18:36. > :18:38.yet to be decided, the ITF will not provide any further comment. They
:18:39. > :18:42.have kicked it into the long grass, is that the way you feel? I think
:18:43. > :18:48.so. They are sitting on the fence but I can understand it because with
:18:49. > :18:52.the finals coming up, Bedene having never represented Great Britain, it
:18:53. > :18:54.does not feel like the ideal time to make a decision on that. Fairly
:18:55. > :19:02.understandable, I think. He won't be available to play for
:19:03. > :19:08.the Davis Cup final for Great Britain or after the first round
:19:09. > :19:34.after. That second singles spot is well and
:19:35. > :19:38.truly up for grabs. Gone from a 3 horse race to a 2 horse race. James
:19:39. > :19:58.Ward or Kyle Edmund. Nishikori is five foot ten. He does
:19:59. > :20:02.not have a huge serve but it is bigger than last year. It looks more
:20:03. > :20:05.reliable. The elbow seems a little bit higher. He's had one or two Mac
:20:06. > :20:25.injury problems with his shoulder. Obviously not the tallest of guys,
:20:26. > :20:32.not got the best motion. He's got to find a balance between aggressive
:20:33. > :20:40.first serves and getting presented up -- his percentage up because in
:20:41. > :20:45.the first round he was in 40%. That is a better serve when you look at
:20:46. > :20:52.the speed. Well placed into the body. If you can be hitting around
:20:53. > :20:54.115 but making 60% that will give him a foundation to use his weapons,
:20:55. > :21:21.which is the baseline game. Talking about a man who is proud to
:21:22. > :21:30.represent his country, Nishikori has beaten Pospisil and Raonic. It was
:21:31. > :21:37.losing match against Canada, they went through the world group
:21:38. > :21:48.play-off. Unbeaten this year in Davis Cup, Nishikori.
:21:49. > :21:53.The first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final. A very big deal
:21:54. > :22:20.commercially in the region. From the point of view of Berdych,
:22:21. > :24:37.he is really looking for the big first serve. 128 mph out wide.
:24:38. > :24:47.The ITF deferring their decision on Bedene's eligibility. The lawyer for
:24:48. > :24:50.the LTA is over there, they will need
:24:51. > :24:56.the LTA is over there, they will with it once again. It is not until
:24:57. > :25:02.the second or third week in March. You feel for him because they
:25:03. > :25:06.changed the rules on eligibility for Davis Cup representation after he
:25:07. > :25:09.had represented Slovenia but had his British passport. They changed the
:25:10. > :25:18.rules and they said if you have played it you cannot play for a new
:25:19. > :25:21.nation. It is difficult. Whatever happens, this process will go on. It
:25:22. > :25:28.must be a little this heartening for him but the fact is, the team that
:25:29. > :25:32.got Great Britain to the final is going to be the one that plays the
:25:33. > :25:37.final and there is something right about that. Absolutely. Bedene is a
:25:38. > :25:40.very good player, don't get me wrong, but imagine if it was a
:25:41. > :25:46.top-10 player in the world who came in for this final match. There was
:25:47. > :25:53.talk of Novak Djokovic are presenting Great Britain. At stage.
:25:54. > :25:59.talk of Novak Djokovic are Davis Cup every year. Ten Mac would
:26:00. > :26:40.be the number one Davis Cup every year. Ten Mac would
:26:41. > :26:44.six years, maybe. -- Bedene. When these players get into baseline
:26:45. > :26:55.exchanges you feel Nishikori is going to try to outmanoeuvre Berdych
:26:56. > :27:01.and Berdych is going to try to outmanoeuvre Berdych
:27:02. > :27:12.believe Nishikori. -- try and going to try to outmanoeuvre Berdych
:27:13. > :27:47.Nishikori. Nishikori throwing in a few
:27:48. > :28:48.It looks a bit like he has three different outfits mixed up.
:28:49. > :28:56.Game, Nishikori. There has been a response from the LTA. They say they
:28:57. > :29:04.are disappointed at the late decision in Prague to postpone the
:29:05. > :29:09.hearing of our appeal. We feel it is important to state we have complied
:29:10. > :29:13.with the process set forth and are working hard to achieve a positive
:29:14. > :29:21.outcome. It is in everyone's best interest that a fair hearing takes
:29:22. > :29:28.place as soon as possible, ideally before the first round of the Davis
:29:29. > :29:30.Cup in 2016. We continue to support the bid for a successful appeal.
:29:31. > :31:46.There you go. Good footwork from Berdych and good
:31:47. > :31:50.use of the angle. With this court, it is difficult just to hit through
:31:51. > :32:14.it, you have to use the Angles to open your opponent up.
:32:15. > :32:23.That is a nice change up. He was quite a long way back in the court,
:32:24. > :32:28.it has to be good and it had to be disguised. Take us through the
:32:29. > :32:32.technique, Tim. It is set up by the aggressive return which gets a
:32:33. > :32:39.defensive reply so Berdych is already moving into the back of the
:32:40. > :32:40.court which opens up the front but it was still very well executed drop
:32:41. > :33:33.shot. Taking it on, first with the
:33:34. > :33:38.backhand and then out of the air and fairly straightforward to finish
:33:39. > :33:43.into the open court. Can you believe this bloke got beaten one and one by
:33:44. > :34:29.Djokovic the other day? You look at Berdych's court
:34:30. > :34:35.position, to be able to hit a clean winner, he is a good four feet the
:34:36. > :34:41.baseline against a move as good as Nishikori, that is a clean strike.
:34:42. > :35:20.Thumbs up from Nishikori. -- against a mover.
:35:21. > :35:25.Berdych having a look back at the baseline and the umpire to see if
:35:26. > :36:30.that ball from Nishikori dropped in. For me, this is the biggest change
:36:31. > :36:36.in the modern game, turning defence into attack. Berdych played such a
:36:37. > :36:42.good point and had Nishikori running from side to side but the defining
:36:43. > :36:43.shot of the rally is the winner from behind the baseline and outside
:36:44. > :36:46.shot of the rally is the winner from singles line. Good thing or bad
:36:47. > :36:53.thing? Great thing, singles line. Good thing or bad
:36:54. > :36:56.a few more volleys! You would need long arms for that! How do you come
:36:57. > :37:15.in on that, that is the problem. He got the shot he wanted on break
:37:16. > :37:19.point and it just looked like his body weight was spinning out of the
:37:20. > :37:57.shot. You would still backed him to make it. -- you would back him.
:37:58. > :38:04.There is a little bit of respect for the court speed at the other end in
:38:05. > :38:04.There is a little bit of respect for that. You feel you have to play a
:38:05. > :38:14.very fine Berdych's wife, Esther, just facing
:38:15. > :38:40.away from us there. A tough old game at 2-2, this one,
:38:41. > :39:55.ten minutes of it. One more thing on the Bedene story
:39:56. > :40:02.and the fact the ITF have said they are not going to make a decision,
:40:03. > :40:06.they are deferring his Elavil easy -- eligibility decision until March
:40:07. > :40:10.next year, that is after the first round of the Davis Cup next year
:40:11. > :40:17.which is the fourth to the 6th of March. There is probably a lot of
:40:18. > :40:21.consideration on this, but Aljaz has had something to say and I can
:40:22. > :40:27.understand his appointment. He is on Twitter, "there's a point that the
:40:28. > :40:33.hearing was postponed. I will keep my head held high." And rightly so,
:40:34. > :40:37.he is 46 in the world, new has to be aiming to getting at seeding for
:40:38. > :40:44.slams and heading higher. He has had a great year but disappointed. It is
:40:45. > :40:49.disappointing but he obviously has a lot of other tennis he can
:40:50. > :40:53.concentrate on. It is slightly disappointing that the ITF cannot
:40:54. > :40:57.make a decision one way or the other before the first round of the
:40:58. > :41:07.competition next year. Who knows the reasons behind that. The wheels of
:41:08. > :41:12.justice turn pretty slowly. Stephen Farrell, who was in charge of
:41:13. > :41:17.Queen's Club, he was legal counsel for the LTA on that. It is pretty
:41:18. > :41:20.good at them to support Aljaz, I don't know what the billing
:41:21. > :41:26.procedure is but lawyers aren't cheap! They feel obligated to
:41:27. > :41:38.support a man who has a British passport, presumably. And let's face
:41:39. > :41:39.it, having a world-class number one player after Murray is something we
:41:40. > :42:02.are having a look at and hope for. -- comes from Slovenia. Nishikori
:42:03. > :42:05.will be disappointed not to have broken serve in the last game,
:42:06. > :42:13.Berdych coming through, he wants to put the pressure on the Nishikori
:42:14. > :42:38.serve. 0-15, it is like a half chance.
:42:39. > :42:56.This wasn't quite the way you were taught to hit a forehand? You are
:42:57. > :43:03.never getting away with that with a continental grip and a wooden
:43:04. > :43:06.racket! Look at this, open stance, rotation, the explosion taking him
:43:07. > :43:16.off the ground, it is a spectacle we did not see until a few years ago.
:43:17. > :43:22.You changed your forehand grip over time, didn't you? And the stance?
:43:23. > :43:55.Yes. I think there has been so much
:43:56. > :44:01.progression in the game with the way players move, how hard they hit the
:44:02. > :44:08.ball from the back of the court and the first serves but the only
:44:09. > :44:14.doubtful area is second serves. I think in the past, when you are
:44:15. > :44:18.having to serve and volley behind second served it made players
:44:19. > :44:21.perhaps have a bit more aggression and accuracy. Sometimes it seems the
:44:22. > :44:46.second serve is just to start point. It doesn't seem like there is too
:44:47. > :44:51.much wrong with that one but that is another thing that has made its way
:44:52. > :44:56.into the game, they get their racket re-strung between matches, some
:44:57. > :45:00.players every day and every racket. This Berdych has taken longer to win
:45:01. > :45:43.his service games so far than the Japanese player.
:45:44. > :47:10.It is patient from Berdych because you feel he is hitting a lot of big
:47:11. > :47:14.shots in these rallies but Nishikori is always staying in it with his
:47:15. > :47:17.movement and it is easy to start going closer to the line or over the
:47:18. > :48:17.net and make an unforced error. Wow. He got down for a big fella,
:48:18. > :48:24.six foot five. Soft hands and good movement. Mum and dad and wife
:48:25. > :48:30.Esther all in attendance, as they are each year here. They got married
:48:31. > :48:36.in Monaco just in front of 20 close friends, a very glamorous affair.
:48:37. > :48:39.Esther is a full-time model and travels with Tomas most of the time
:48:40. > :48:44.but is very successful in her field. travels with Tomas most of the time
:48:45. > :48:49.It is the sixth straight time that Tomas Berdych has been in this
:48:50. > :48:57.field. He made the semifinal in 2011. Actually, he has never won and
:48:58. > :49:03.opening match and never lost a second match. They did a bit like
:49:04. > :49:09.Agnieszka Radwanska. -- that is a bit like. He had a perfect record on
:49:10. > :49:15.second matches so perhaps needs to play his way in. He beat Tipsarevic
:49:16. > :49:21.and Ferrer on his way to the semifinal. His ranking has often
:49:22. > :49:27.been six, seven, eight, and it with the round robin, he has often been
:49:28. > :49:31.playing one of the best in the world. When you lose that much you
:49:32. > :49:35.play the loser of the other match in your group so he has always bounced
:49:36. > :49:40.back well and he is in a good position so far in this match. Andy
:49:41. > :49:47.Murray will be confirmed as the world number two for the end of year
:49:48. > :49:53.rankings, which would be a high for him, if Novak Djokovic beats Roger
:49:54. > :49:59.Federer later on. Regardless of whether that happens or not, if Andy
:50:00. > :50:04.wins one of his next two matches in the group, he will be confirmed as
:50:05. > :50:08.that. Considering last year he had to play his way in by playing six or
:50:09. > :50:14.seven weeks in a row, he has at a fantastic year. It was a great
:50:15. > :50:20.efforts to qualify last year after a comparatively mediocre year. Losing
:50:21. > :50:24.that much do Roger Federer, 6-1, 6-0, there were questions over his
:50:25. > :50:30.aim at his back and his relationship with Amelie Mauresmo. We had about
:50:31. > :50:37.the other day, I thought it was zero and one. We were not talking about
:50:38. > :50:44.that match. The one from last year? Not that one? We were talking about
:50:45. > :50:49.Goffin in Paris. I will have to wait for my cup of tea!
:50:50. > :50:57.We will get on the same page. New tennis balls for Nishikori to serve
:50:58. > :52:25.with. No struggle there, very
:52:26. > :52:29.straightforward service games. It is nice to take a bit of momentum into
:52:30. > :52:35.a return game with something like that. Good numbers for Nishikori,
:52:36. > :52:41.67% first serve and when that goes in, he has only dropped one point,
:52:42. > :53:35.13 out of 14. That is a good platform for him to build from.
:53:36. > :54:14.Players these days are so capable of changing direction. Not an easy shot
:54:15. > :54:15.from the middle of the court, to hit that off backhand over the higher
:54:16. > :54:59.part of the net. Both of these players have been in
:55:00. > :57:54.grand slam finals. Berdych 5-5 up, this is the seizing
:57:55. > :58:00.ending finale if you are just getting in. -- 5-4 up. The eight
:58:01. > :58:06.best players in the world I, this is number six, Tomas Berdych against
:58:07. > :58:10.number eight, Kei Nishikori. He is the youngest in the field, playing
:58:11. > :58:15.for a second year in a row, Nishikori. It will be Federer
:58:16. > :58:20.against Djokovic this evening. Tomorrow afternoon is that thou
:58:21. > :58:28.against Murray that will be a real highlight -- Nadal against Murray.
:58:29. > :58:32.If Federer loses to Djokovic tonight, Murray will finish the year
:58:33. > :58:37.as world number two which is a big deal because it will mean he is
:58:38. > :58:40.seeded number two and avoiding the half of Novak Djokovic at the
:58:41. > :58:45.Australian Open which would be helpful. It would be and it is an
:58:46. > :58:49.incredible achievement and a great reflection of the year he has had
:58:50. > :58:51.because he has been so consistent, starting in Australia at the
:58:52. > :59:00.beginning of the year, making the final. Nishikori, top 20 in the
:59:01. > :59:06.world in 2012 and 2013, progression last year when he made the US Open
:59:07. > :59:11.final. A high of world than before, currently number eight. A star
:59:12. > :59:18.player. Got beaten pretty badly by Djokovic in his opening match but is
:59:19. > :59:30.playing up to now, 4-5, no breaks. -- playing better.
:59:31. > :59:49.He did really well to stay in the point, Berdych, and when he got his
:59:50. > :59:57.movement, even six or seven feet you find the baseline, he has the power
:59:58. > :00:01.to find the winner crosscourt. Serving first in this set, being
:00:02. > :00:02.able to build up a bit of scoreboard pressure, Nishikori serving to stay
:00:03. > :00:23.in it. She is the youngest here by three
:00:24. > :00:30.years at the age of 25. Still lots of improvement in the game. -- he is
:00:31. > :00:52.the youngest. Perhaps we'll feel he should have won the US Open.
:00:53. > :00:58.83 mph second serve, not really going to get it done if Berdych
:00:59. > :01:02.picks up the direction early as he did they are. You could maybe get
:01:03. > :01:32.away with it if you are keeping your opponent back, but not in the middle
:01:33. > :01:36.of the box. Berdych cannot believe it. He had so many chances to finish
:01:37. > :01:56.that. Slightly mis-hit forehand when he was coming in. This is a tight
:01:57. > :02:20.point. He has missed that. Right on the line.
:02:21. > :03:10.A bit of adrenaline on that. Fastest serve of the match.
:03:11. > :03:45.We have not seen 5-5 in a singles match yet in this tournament.
:03:46. > :04:25.Bad choice of shot from Berdych and also bad execution.
:04:26. > :04:53.Best match we've seen. Absolutely. Both players going to to toe.
:04:54. > :06:56.Pressure is back on ten two Mac. We have seen Berdych's serve the
:06:57. > :08:22.drop off. It just got a little too high on him
:08:23. > :08:52.but that is fashionable tennis play on a break point.
:08:53. > :08:55.We have seen that before. I just wonder whether that first serve was
:08:56. > :09:39.in. He is chucking his racket in the and
:09:40. > :09:47.is clearly disappointed. -- in the sky.
:09:48. > :10:07.You should have played this game... Still in the game.
:10:08. > :10:50.That was long. Third break point in this game. Bad time for a first
:10:51. > :11:11.double fault. Needs to get back to basics and find
:11:12. > :11:15.that burst serve. -- first serve. Nishikori get the breakthrough on
:11:16. > :11:22.his third break point. Strong return of serve right down the middle.
:11:23. > :11:32.After holding bravely, he came through the fire. Great satisfaction
:11:33. > :11:34.for him to break serve there. Unbelievable, the mobility around
:11:35. > :11:55.the court. Berdych has not had too many
:11:56. > :12:05.injuries in his career. 49 Grand Slams. 30 years of age. He will need
:12:06. > :12:10.to dig deep year. -- here. No difference in approach for Berdych.
:12:11. > :12:19.He's got to go to the second serve or does he stay patient? The only
:12:20. > :12:21.thing that really changes is the mindset of Nishikori, whether he
:12:22. > :12:28.plays the scoreboard, whether he is serving for the first, whether that
:12:29. > :12:42.distracts him, because he has done a very good job. He has 16 out of 18
:12:43. > :12:45.first serve points. See whether Berdych can get off to a strong
:12:46. > :13:10.start. Nishikori looking down and seeing
:13:11. > :13:26.all the sweat, you must think he is making him work.
:13:27. > :15:46.Can you please switch your flashes off on your mobile phone.
:15:47. > :15:52.first step on a clean winner, over one hour. Intensely competitive from
:15:53. > :15:59.both players. Nishikori wins the set.
:16:00. > :16:08.Super match. The best we've had at the tournament so far. We are
:16:09. > :16:20.watching the Stan Smith group. This match, it is Berdych against
:16:21. > :16:26.Nishikori. Tune in tomorrow because we our in for a real treat.
:16:27. > :16:36.So powerful. That is a wicked tennis point. That is an absolute
:16:37. > :16:41.demonstration. Yes, that is amazing. The hard work has paid off and that
:16:42. > :16:47.will be that. Very comfortable, a brilliant performance. Everybody
:16:48. > :16:54.looking forward to that. Join us at 2pm. Rafael Nadal leads the
:16:55. > :17:01.head-to-head but Andy Murray has beaten them this year, that was on
:17:02. > :17:05.clay. He has also won his first two Mac tournament is on clay this year,
:17:06. > :17:15.and that bodes well for the Davis Cup. Belgium has chosen clay but he
:17:16. > :17:17.has been in superb form. That is tomorrow at 2pm. We are enjoying
:17:18. > :17:27.this one just now. Quick word on rough in a doubt, what
:17:28. > :17:33.do you make of his form lately? He looks as hungry, I don't know
:17:34. > :17:37.whether his game is where it was but he is heading in the right
:17:38. > :17:42.direction. Would you agree? Absolutely. There have been a lot of
:17:43. > :17:48.positive signs. I felt like he went into that match against Stan
:17:49. > :17:53.Wawrinka as the underdog. He will be looking to build on that for this
:17:54. > :17:59.tournament, and irrespective of the results, he will be ready to go in
:18:00. > :18:06.2016. Roger Federer thinks he's going to have a good year. Was it a
:18:07. > :18:10.loss of confidence? It seems like it. He was very frank and open with
:18:11. > :18:17.his press conference in Miami in March. But he seems like he is in
:18:18. > :18:21.good shape physically, building that confidence. It would be great,
:18:22. > :18:30.because they spoke about the rivalry and how many times they've played,
:18:31. > :18:33.they played in the final of the Swiss Masters, we would love to see
:18:34. > :18:43.them playing more often together again. If you want to find out more
:18:44. > :18:47.you can look up our Facebook page. So many ways to get in touch. Why
:18:48. > :19:01.don't you pop into the commentary box? We will make your cup of tea.
:19:02. > :19:13.If you want to call Tim Henman direct, his number is...
:19:14. > :19:19.Berdych down asset. Lost the last three games. He needs to take his
:19:20. > :20:01.heels in. Stop the rot. Set the point up well but would not
:20:02. > :20:26.expect him to miss a volley of that nature.
:20:27. > :20:36.The mistakes are flowing from Tomas Berdych. He will not be out on that
:20:37. > :20:47.court much longer if he goes a break down again. So many statistics, but
:20:48. > :20:54.he wins his service games from the 0-40, 16% of the time. Not this
:20:55. > :21:15.time. It is wonderful when you win a close
:21:16. > :21:38.first set, then you see the errors flowing. Where is he hitting this
:21:39. > :21:44.too? Happy to go onto the forehand. You could say if you go to the
:21:45. > :21:52.forehand then it will open it up for the next shot. It is working at the
:21:53. > :22:16.moment, one set and one break. He disturbed his rhythm between the
:22:17. > :23:19.first and second. That is a way as well. He does not
:23:20. > :23:27.look good at the moment. Eight points in a row for Nishikori, three
:23:28. > :26:44.games in a row. Berdych is a set and a break down.
:26:45. > :26:49.What has he got to do to get himself back into this match? He's got to be
:26:50. > :26:54.the last five games out of his mind. He's got to get back to the
:26:55. > :26:59.basics of the process, not the outcome. He needs to hit the spots
:27:00. > :27:02.on his first serve, so that he can dictate points and make an impact,
:27:03. > :27:42.because this is running away from him quickly.
:27:43. > :27:47.He is a little to go for his shots. Berdych is
:27:48. > :28:13.getting pushed further back. Wimbledon finalist in 2010, I
:28:14. > :28:19.remember him beating Istomin in five sets. He went on to beach Roger
:28:20. > :28:26.Federer and Novak Djokovic in that tournament -- to beat. The occasion
:28:27. > :28:32.was perhaps too much to him, he lost to Rafael Nadal. Wimbledon finalist
:28:33. > :28:58.and semifinalist at the other three Grand Slam championships.
:28:59. > :29:07.Highlight from Nishikori of course, beating Stan Wawrinka and Novak
:29:08. > :29:12.Djokovic. This year, he lost in the first round of the US Open. He had a
:29:13. > :29:14.couple of match points. Still ranked high enough to get into this field
:29:15. > :30:08.again. Credit where credit is due. That
:30:09. > :31:39.could have been curtains. He is hanging in there.
:31:40. > :31:50.Strong hold and a must hold. Berdych is still in this match although a
:31:51. > :31:56.set and a break down. Good effort, he could have gone away then. Very
:31:57. > :31:59.much so, Nishikori was giving him very few opportunities and was
:32:00. > :32:03.consistent from the back of the court but Berdych did well to get
:32:04. > :32:10.his side of the scoreboard rolling again. He hasn't yet created a break
:32:11. > :32:13.point opportunity and I can't imagine Nishikori goes through too
:32:14. > :32:19.many matches when he does not face a break point so Berdych has two
:32:20. > :32:20.remain with the belief he can get an opportunity and get back into this
:32:21. > :32:40.match. -- has two The visitors here enjoying this
:32:41. > :32:44.spectacle. It seems to have found such a natural home here at the O2,
:32:45. > :32:54.the end of season finale. Who are they supporting? Perhaps a more
:32:55. > :33:01.traditional British tennis audience! 17,000 people plus in every session
:33:02. > :33:06.here at the O2. Two sessions a day all the way through to the final on
:33:07. > :33:10.Sunday. This is day three, tomorrow, Nadal against Murray is the
:33:11. > :33:17.afternoon offering, join us at 2pm on BBC Two. They got tickets for the
:33:18. > :33:20.wrong one if they are wearing Swiss tops, Federer against Djokovic is
:33:21. > :34:04.this evening and that will be wonderful to see.
:34:05. > :34:26.Here is a half chance that Berdych was hoping for. It wasn't the best
:34:27. > :34:41.passing shot but it was good enough to get past Nishikori.
:34:42. > :34:48.The first serve from Nishikori only 113 mph. Berdych has really got to
:34:49. > :35:51.get that back in play. There we have it, a couple of
:35:52. > :35:55.unforced errors from Nishikori and now Berdych has his first break
:35:56. > :36:22.point opportunity of the match. Mr Nishikori is challenging the call
:36:23. > :36:30.on the left far sideline, the ball was called out.
:36:31. > :36:52.There you have it. A real donation from Nishikori.
:36:53. > :36:57.There you have it. A real donation error on the first point, Berdych
:36:58. > :37:01.hit a pretty average pass on the second. Another unforced error from
:37:02. > :37:10.Nishikori followed by the double fault.
:37:11. > :37:58.And you would always feel that with the serve like Nishikori's, he is
:37:59. > :38:03.not going to serve a massive out of aces and get a lot of free points
:38:04. > :38:05.and you will get your opportunities. I am surprised that was Berdych's
:38:06. > :38:15.first I am surprised that was Berdych's
:38:16. > :38:46.amount of aces. Impossible to judge the
:38:47. > :38:53.one, you don't really know what it is going to do. Massive mis-hit. One
:38:54. > :38:59.thing you definitely don't want to do is set your feet to early because
:39:00. > :39:12.you know it is going to react off the surface. -- too early.
:39:13. > :39:23.Dad is a trained engineer, or used to be. Retired now.
:39:24. > :39:32.And this is impressive stuff from Tomas Berdych who has come back from
:39:33. > :39:36.2-0 down in the set. I think following his son around the major
:39:37. > :39:39.capitals of the world is probably more fun than being a trained
:39:40. > :39:49.engineer in the Czech Republic. What do you say? I think on this occasion
:39:50. > :39:52.I would agree with you. What a great life you can carve out for yourself
:39:53. > :40:00.if you become a success in sport and Tomas Berdych has maximised his
:40:01. > :40:05.talent. He never had the softest hands, over 16 stone, six foot five.
:40:06. > :40:10.He has at a wonderful career but never quite had the hands of someone
:40:11. > :40:14.like Federer or Djokovic but he has been playing with them all the way
:40:15. > :40:19.up, he has been the backdrop for these others to show their genius.
:40:20. > :40:23.Absolutely, and finesse and subtlety are not the cornerstones of his
:40:24. > :40:27.game, he looks to bully his opponents. He lost five games at the
:40:28. > :40:30.end of the first set and the beginning of the second but he has
:40:31. > :40:34.hung in there and turn this beginning of the second but he has
:40:35. > :40:37.round and now has his nose in front and we will see if he can continue
:40:38. > :40:43.to put pressure on the Nishikori serve. Could he have
:40:44. > :40:45.to put pressure on the Nishikori anything over the course of his
:40:46. > :40:52.career to make himself a top three or four player rather than top seven
:40:53. > :40:58.or eight? No, you look at that context of tennis right now,
:40:59. > :41:02.Djokovic, Federer, Murray, potentially Nadal, they are better
:41:03. > :41:03.players than him. It is about maximising what he has got and he
:41:04. > :41:35.has done fantastically well. He added Dani Vallverdu to his camp.
:41:36. > :41:55.This was some subtlety although the volley was not great. Decent finish.
:41:56. > :42:33.That was a low ball and that is a low percentage attempt.
:42:34. > :42:44.Momentum is a funny thing in sport. Seven or eight minutes ago,
:42:45. > :42:46.Nishikori was totally in command. He was looking to go two breaks up,
:42:47. > :43:27.wasn't he? Nishikori did such a good job in the
:43:28. > :43:31.first set of keeping those first serves in the corner so he could
:43:32. > :43:37.dominate the baseline exchanges. Second set, he has started to drop
:43:38. > :43:42.off, 44% of first serves, only winning one in four when the first
:43:43. > :45:14.serve goes in. Berdych with the upper hand in the second set.
:45:15. > :45:36.I have no idea what is going to happen next, that is why we watch
:45:37. > :45:40.sport. Five games in a row from two Noh down? I know Nishikori has had
:45:41. > :45:48.more than his fair share of injuries and you wonder if something has
:45:49. > :45:52.gone. -- from 2-0 down. He won five games in a row at the end of the
:45:53. > :45:57.first set, beginning of the second and looked to be dominating the
:45:58. > :46:03.match but Berdych hung around and suddenly won five games in a row of
:46:04. > :46:07.his own. Who was the match at Wimbledon with my reads when they
:46:08. > :46:18.had the trainer on court and won six in a row and Murray then got the
:46:19. > :46:33.trainer on and did it. Claim was the ATP trainer. -- Clay. I remember, I
:46:34. > :46:42.have the whole thing in my head. Somebody can let us know quickly.
:46:43. > :48:02.Andy Murray would be one of them! It was all smiles, wasn't it?
:48:03. > :48:11.You and I, we are getting a bit old and forgetting things. We worked
:48:12. > :49:13.that match together. It was Seppi in round three. Thank you, computer.
:49:14. > :49:20.He had a good look at it and pulled the trigger but nothing and
:49:21. > :49:24.Nishikori has at least made his opponent serve for this second set.
:49:25. > :49:39.That is the first part of the job. These two players have not played
:49:40. > :49:43.since 2012, I'm really surprised considering they are both well
:49:44. > :49:53.inside the top ten and consistently so. Head-to-head is pretty
:49:54. > :50:33.meaningless therefore, but for the record it is 3-1 to Nishikori.
:50:34. > :50:38.Berdych was really able to plant that right foot, drive the backhand
:50:39. > :51:12.down the line into the corner. We didn't think we would be saying
:51:13. > :51:14.that 20 minutes ago, three set points to Tomas Berdych to level it
:51:15. > :51:38.up at 1-1. That's a very tidy clean-up job on
:51:39. > :51:49.his own serve. Mum and That's a very tidy clean-up job on
:51:50. > :51:51.the set 6-3. And for the first time at the O2 this year, we are going
:51:52. > :51:57.the distance. STUDIO: Good at the O2 this year, we are going
:51:58. > :52:00.competitive match here at the ATP World Tour Finals, going
:52:01. > :52:01.competitive match here at the ATP third set. Other tennis News and
:52:02. > :52:05.Liam Smith, the Great third set. Other tennis News and
:52:06. > :52:09.Cup captain has announced his team for the final next week against
:52:10. > :52:14.Belgium pulled it is Andy and Jamie Murray along with Don Inglot, the
:52:15. > :52:19.doubles specialist and a big division who to play in the second
:52:20. > :52:24.singles, Kyle Edmund or James Ward. Kyle Edmund won a challenger
:52:25. > :52:29.tournament in Argentina and is in Uruguay this year so he will have a
:52:30. > :52:33.late run back to Belgium. There is no Aljaz Bedene, the Slovenian born.
:52:34. > :52:37.He travelled to Prague today for a herring at the ITF and they
:52:38. > :52:42.adjourned the decision whether he was eligible to play for Great
:52:43. > :52:45.Britain until the third week of March next year. They said they had
:52:46. > :52:48.taken that decision in order to ensure that the rights of all
:52:49. > :52:52.parties are considered and as the application has yet to be decided,
:52:53. > :52:56.the ITF will not provide any further comment. The LTA said they want to
:52:57. > :53:01.bring that forward to at least make Bedene available to play in the
:53:02. > :53:06.first round of the Davis Cup which takes place in the first week of
:53:07. > :53:10.March. Disappointing for Bedene but a tough decision for Liam Smith,
:53:11. > :53:14.does he play the youngster Kyle Edmund or the more experienced James
:53:15. > :53:19.Ward? We will be talking about that for many days to come. COMMENTATOR:
:53:20. > :53:25.Let's talk about it now with Tim Henman, who would you pick? Kyle
:53:26. > :53:31.Edmund. I don't think it's that difficult a decision. James is great
:53:32. > :53:37.but if you are a top 100 player and you win a round of the French
:53:38. > :53:44.and... I did say I would choose James Ward yesterday! You flip-flop.
:53:45. > :53:48.I think Kyle Edmund has to be the pick, if you win a challenger on
:53:49. > :53:54.clay in Buenos Aires and you are top 100, I would be pretty disappointed.
:53:55. > :53:58.It is a nice problem for Lyon to have. After the Australian tie they
:53:59. > :54:03.were both hopelessly out of form, they had not won many matches and
:54:04. > :54:07.you felt you were relying on and the winning both singles and the doubles
:54:08. > :54:17.but with a bit of confidence, they could cause an upset in that second
:54:18. > :54:22.singles. All three players who are in contention played great when they
:54:23. > :54:24.were asked to come up all have won challengers, James Ward, Kyle
:54:25. > :54:45.Edmund. Great effort. Why did you change your mind
:54:46. > :54:50.overnight? Because I will be right one day, one tight! Don Inglot for
:54:51. > :57:13.the singles tomorrow. Talking of pix, who is your pick for
:57:14. > :57:19.this third set? The guy who won the second set and has a bit of momentum
:57:20. > :57:23.going. I would say he is 60-40 at this stage, and bearing in mind he
:57:24. > :57:29.has never lost a second match in the round robin. I feel Berdych is
:57:30. > :57:36.probably favourite. You? I will take Nishikori. A fiver? A cup of tea. I
:57:37. > :57:45.still owe you a few from last year. It is good to have a deciding set
:57:46. > :58:07.for the first time at this event. The outcome of these games has
:58:08. > :58:11.really been dictated by who is doing the basics well. Nishikori was
:58:12. > :58:15.making first serves and dominating from the baseline but his level
:58:16. > :58:17.suddenly dropped off and Berdych improved. Who will get the chances
:58:18. > :00:10.in the third? Was he talking about the floated
:00:11. > :00:15.return that was in the corner and got past him? It looked in. Pretty
:00:16. > :00:22.easy for the umpire to say on the far line. If you are unsure, you
:00:23. > :00:27.should challenge it. Get it wrong and he would have lost the point. If
:00:28. > :01:41.he had stopped the point Romilly... -- wrongly.
:01:42. > :03:59.-- these points are decided by such small margins. That went over.
:04:00. > :04:04.In trouble for a while. Just to let you
:04:05. > :04:19.In trouble for a while. Just to let Murray played before the match
:04:20. > :04:29.today. They squeaked through. Another match tonight.
:04:30. > :05:34.Repeat the point. It was called in. I don't know. That was a
:05:35. > :05:52.walkie-talkie. Do you think nobody heard him? Good umpire call. We did
:05:53. > :05:57.not hear it but he probably said something before. The only thing we
:05:58. > :06:09.heard him say was, correction. It is a shame for the return. He obviously
:06:10. > :06:35.made enough noise to think that Nishikori could have heard it.
:06:36. > :06:45.Not a great read in this match. It is difficult to know who will stamp
:06:46. > :06:50.their authority. You thought Nishikori might establish the break
:06:51. > :06:59.and now it is Berdych with the chance.
:07:00. > :07:51.Got some problems with the advertising boards.
:07:52. > :07:59.Mr Berdych is challenging the call, the ball was called out. This is a
:08:00. > :08:01.big coal from the umpire, you've got to hope he is very confident this is
:08:02. > :08:18.out. Credit where credit is due. I said the call stands. That was
:08:19. > :09:47.called out. I have called it out and it was out.
:09:48. > :09:56.A defining set -- a deciding set for the first time in this edition of
:09:57. > :10:01.the ATP World Tour Finals. It came here in 2009. A quick history of
:10:02. > :10:08.this tournament, it is just below the Grand Slam championships. Going
:10:09. > :10:21.back, Novak Djokovic looking to become the first man to win four
:10:22. > :10:26.years in a row. 2011 was phenomenal. That is Novak Djokovic's fourth
:10:27. > :10:39.title in 2008. 2005, that will take you back. Which ones did you play
:10:40. > :10:57.in? I played in Hanover in 1997, 1998. I played in Houston, which was
:10:58. > :11:10.2004 I think. One of the great homes for it was New York, 1977 until
:11:11. > :11:24.1989. The last rally was over 70 shots. Such glamorous figures. Not
:11:25. > :11:31.every ball hit was on the TV.